Bonnie Newman, soon to be New Hampshire’s junior senator, knows a thing or two about short-term gigs.

In 2006, she was plucked from retirement and brought back to the University of New Hampshire, the school where she began her professional career, to serve as its interim president. More than 30 years earlier, she served as interim dean at the UNH School of Business.

Once again, she’ll be playing the placeholder’s role, this time as part of a deal brokered between New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch, a Democrat, and outgoing Republican Sen. Judd Gregg, an agreement designed to address his concerns about keeping the seat in Republican control for the rest of this Congress.

“Bonnie has assured me she will not run in 2010 and she will not endorse any candidates in 2010,” Lynch said at a press conference Tuesday announcing her appointment.

“It’s a deal she made with the governor and the Republican Party,” said University of New Hampshire provost Bruce Mallory, a confidant of Newman. “And she does seem to enjoy herself best when she’s behind the scenes, instead of out in front.”

Academic credentials aside, Newman brings a weighty business background to the Senate, as the former director of the Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire and president of the New England Council, a regional business association.

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Newman, 63, was Gregg’s chief of staff while he served in the House in the 1980s; she also was an assistant commerce secretary under President Ronald Reagan. She later served as former President George H.W. Bush’s chief of White House administration — a high-profile position that propelled her to a career in academia. Before becoming interim president, she was executive dean at Harvard University’s prestigious Kennedy School of Government.

Andrew Smith, who heads the University of New Hampshire’s polling center, described Newman as a Republican better known for her strong managerial skills than her ideology.

“I would describe her as a Rockefeller Republican, a typical northeastern Republican. She’s not particularly ideological, and she’s not socially conservative,” Smith said. “She can come into an organization and figure out what’s going on very quickly.”

“She’s always had a reputation as someone who could get along with someone on both sides of the aisle,” said Mallory. “And she has the ability to talk across sectors.”

Indeed, despite her GOP credentials, Newman led a group of Republicans backing Lynch when he successfully challenged former GOP Gov. Craig Benson in 2004.

“I would describe myself as a reasonable Republican. Some people would call me a moderate Republican, and that is probably true,” Newman said at her press conference. “People who know me know I am a proud and independent Republican. This assignment is not about politics and business as usual — it’s about governing. Seldom in our nation’s history has governing been more important.”

By tapping Newman, observers say Lynch scores a political twofer: He gets to name a friend and political ally to the post while also burnishing his bipartisan bona fides by picking a Republican close to Gregg.

And because Newman will not seek election in 2010, Democrats remain in a strong position to pick up the seat anyway.

During a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, Gregg called Newman “one of the true gems in our state.”

Those who worked with Newman at UNH said that, if her interim role as president is any indication, she is likely to be productive despite her brief tenure.

“She is not just a person who keeps the seat warm,” said Stephen Reno, the UNH chancellor who worked with Newman during her time there. “She knows how to step in, but she also knows how to keep things moving forward.”

When Newman stepped in as the university’s president, “we did not miss a beat,” Reno continued. “She listened, she did her homework, she asked for advice and she made decisions.”

During her tenure as UNH president, she stood behind a psychology professor who came under fire for suggesting that the United States was complicit in the Sept. 11 attacks.

Newman defended the professor on grounds of academic freedom, saying that the university “encourage[s] the open inquiry of ideas and respect[s] the freedoms, rights and responsibilities of all members of our learning community.”

Reno said Newman is uniquely qualified for the Senate seat because she “speaks the languages” of three important sectors: the political world, the business world and academia.

“She’s got a really comprehensive personal and institutional knowledge of our state and how it works,” said former Gregg adviser Tom Rath. “She has a wealth of associations and friendships, and she’s at an age where she’s already had a lot of experience and background. While this is a huge undertaking, she’s going to hit the ground running.”